River of Fire/Chapter 19
Chapter description :Twigpaw’s heart pounds as she leaves camp, padding after her mentor, Sparkpelt. She is thinking about her upcoming warrior assessment, and hopes it goes well, because she knows she’s ready to be a warrior. Twigpaw notes that elsewhere in the forest, Finpaw is having his assessment as well with his mentor Larksong. Sparkpelt leads her apprentice towards the abandoned Twoleg nest, but then veers off into a bramble thicket. She tells her apprentice to catch as much prey as she can before sunhigh, and that she’ll be watching. :Twigpaw agrees, and her mentor says there’s no reason to worry because she’s an excellent hunter, and hedgehogs will fly if she doesn’t pass. Sparkpelt then quickly turns and vanished into the undergrowth, leaving Twigpaw alone. The apprentice is warmed by her mentor’s praise, since Sparkpelt hadn’t liked her very much after her return to ThunderClan. Her confidence soars, and she scents the area for prey. Twigpaw is quickly able to catch a vole, and she thanks StarClan for it. She says aloud that she’s going to enjoy this, and feels energy soar through her limbs. :By just before sunhigh, Twigpaw feels confident in her hunt. She recalls that she’s caught several pieces of prey, and soon spots a blackbird. The gray she-cat carefully stalks it, and pounces once in range. As Twigpaw kills it with a swift nip to the neck, she hears the sound of racing paws through the undergrowth. She scents the air and catches the smell of rabbit, and of Finpaw. A heartbeat later, a rabbit shoots out of the ferns, and heads towards Twigpaw. Finpaw chases after it, and Twigpaw pounces, pinning the creature’s hind legs. :Finpaw kills the rabbit, and Larksong and Sparkpelt appear, praising them for the teamwork in their catch. The ginger she-cat asks her companion if he saw Twigpaw kill that blackbird, saying she couldn’t have done better herself. The gray apprentice bursts with pride at her mentor’s praise, especially knowing that Sparkpelt and her got off to a rocky start. As the cats return to camp, Twigpaw spots Lilyheart and Ivypool bounding up to them. The she-cats congratulate them on their hunt, and say they've been waiting. Twigpaw begins to purr, dropping her prey. To her, it means a lot to be praised by her first mentor and foster mother. Ivypool takes the prey to the fresh-kill pile, while Lilyheart leads Twigpaw over to the medicine den. :The apprentice sees Alderheart, alongside Violetshine and Hawkwing. She is surprised to see them, and the SkyClan deputy says it was arranged. Alderheart adds that he'd convinced Bramblestar to let them come, so they didn't miss her ceremony. Violetshine purrs that it's finally going to happen, pressing her muzzle to her sister's flank. Twigpaw thanks Alderheart, blinking at him gratefully. A flurry of pawsteps announces Finpaw's arrival, and the tom throws himself on Hawkwing. Twigpaw remembers that her father had helped raise her friend's litter, when Sandynose was missing. Finpaw declares that he's happy they're here to see his warrior ceremony, but asks how his family is. Hawkwing says that they wish he'd stayed in SkyClan, but will come around after some time has passed. Twigpaw blames herself for this, but Finpaw comforts that he'd much rather be in ThunderClan with her. :Lilyheart and Violetshine step forward, starting to fuss over the state of Twigpaw's pelt. The apprentice squirms away, noting that she's not a kit. Bramblestar calls a Clan meeting, and Twigpaw notices that the Clan has already started to gather around. The leader pads to the center of a group of cats, and beckons her towards him. Bramblestar says the ritual words, and names Twigpaw as Twigbranch, after the way she's grown from a small kit to a strong warrior. The Clan cheers, and she happily steps back to stand beside her kin. The ThunderClan leader calls Finpaw up next, giving him the warrior name of Finleap. The Clan cheers, but a yowl of warning sounds from the fern tunnel. :Every cat turns to see Brightheart, who's standing guard, alert everyone of two new cats entering camp. Grassheart and Strikestone race in, and the ginger and white she-cat gasps that she couldn't stop them. Bramblestar thrusts himself to the front of the crowd, asking what this is about. Grassheart apologizes, saying they aren't here to attack, but informs everyone that Tigerheart has returned and Hawkwing is needed. ThunderClan is in shock, and the clearing explodes with questions. The pair ignore all questions, and Strikestone says that the SkyClan deputy needs to come now, because Tigerheart is dead. Characters Major }} Minor *Sparkpelt *Finpaw *Larksong *Ivypool *Lilyheart *Alderheart *Violetshine *Hawkwing *Bramblestar *Brightheart *Grassheart *Strikestone }} Mentioned *Flipkit (Unnamed) *Bristlekit (Unnamed) *Sandynose *Tigerheart *Dovewing }} Important events Ceremonies *Finpaw has his warrior ceremony, gaining the name of Finleap. Notes and references Category:Chapter subpages Category:River of Fire Category:A Vision of Shadows arc